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Dordt is third on Best Colleges list

The 2008 America’s Best Colleges report ranks Dordt College in a third place tie out of approximately one hundred baccalaureate colleges in the Midwest region.

America’s Best Colleges is published by U.S. News & World Report, and Dordt College has appeared on the list for the past fifteen years. This year’s Midwest first and second place rankings went to schools in Indiana (Taylor) and Ohio (Northern). Tied for third with Dordt College was Cedarville University in Ohio.

Dordt College was also named to the “Great Schools, Great Prices” list, ranked fourth in U.S. News’ ten top-ranked Midwest colleges that offer the best value related to the school’s academic quality. Dordt was the only Iowa college named to this list.

The “Great Schools, Great Prices” formula weighs the U.S. News ranking against the net cost of attendance for the average student—the higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost to attend, the better the deal.

The “Great Schools, Great Prices” listing states that seventy-eight percent of Dordt students received need-based grants, with an average thirty-three percent discount in their tuition cost in 2006.

“Top quality at a great price is a wonderful thing to be able to offer our students,” said Dordt’s president, Dr. Carl E. Zylstra, in response to the 2008 ranking. “We’re thrilled to be recognized as an institution that excels in offering a Christian education while keeping costs affordable for everyone.”

The annual U.S. News & World Report rankings use fifteen indicators of excellence to help consumers evaluate and compare data compiled from more than 1400 accredited four-year schools. The complete list of rankings is available online at www.usnews.com/colleges.